Tex's Star Grill ~ Watauga, Texas

November 2011 update: I had originally posted about Tex's in a longer Burger update, but it really should have its own write-up. And since that time, Tex's has really played up their Chicago roots - adding many more regional delicacies such as beef and sausage sandwiches, Vienna hot dogs and "Polishes". With that has come a "sub-name" as it were: Tex's Chicago Connection. The RJG, along with many others I'm sure, had called out some confusion about the original name. And the owner wrote in to tell me that he knew he missed out on the name game. Tex's is run by a very conscientious owner, and there's a reason why he's ranked # 4 in ALL of DFW. As for my own designations, you'll see I put Chicago Deli and Greek Diner. Well it's not really a diner, since you do order up at the counter and they even have a drive-through. But the food is very much like the Greek diners found throughout the Midwest. And on this visit, I tried the beef and sausage sandwich - definitely the best one I've had since my last visit to Chicago!

Northeast Tarrant has made a few tries for the Chicago tastebud, but other than Weinberger's in Grapevine (and Westlake), none have managed to stay in business. But Tex's is here for the long run, and is one of the most popular places in town. Funny enough, Tex's isn't even the #1 place (according to Urbanspoon) in Watauga - that designation goes to Chef Pointe Cafe (which is #1 overall in DFW - and a place we hope to try soon). For such a small, humble, out of the way suburb like Watauga, it is indeed very odd they have two of the most popular restaurants in DFW. Something I hope their chamber of commerce is all too willing to exploit. "Come to Watauga - DFW's #1 Destination for Foodies". It doesn't even seem possible.

Original review

Perhaps the most misnamed place in DFW. When I first saw the place as we were driving down Rufe Snow some 4+ years ago, I thought it was a new burrito place, or perhaps a fast food Tex-Mex joint. Well it's really none of those, but rather a good old fashioned Greek diner or, in this case, fast food establishment. So why is it in the Burger section you ask? Those who've spent more than 15 minutes in Chicago already know the answer - the Greeks make some of the tastiest hamburgers in America. And you can get a Greek Salad with that too! And gyros. And souvlaki. And Baklava. You get the idea. I personally love the Golden Burger with pastrami on top! Places like this exist in every village, hamlet, burb, or mafia center in Chicago, which is why it's America's greatest eating town. And now we have one in NE Tarrant too!

The owner made a comment on the original post, which I will include here: "RJG,I'm honored that you have added Tex's Star Grill to your long list of restaurants reviewed. You're right, we missed out on the name game. When I moved to this great state from Chicago, my buddies back home gave me the nickname Tex - and it stuck. Oh well...we're just glad that our customers have done a super job of spreading the word on what we are all about."Website

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Established in 2008, The Regular Joe's Guide is a defiantly independent, non-profit, anonymous blog dedicated to providing information about the enormous amount of great restaurants out in the world today. We do this as a public service, with no personal benefit, other than to continue to be able to eat at these fine establishments. It is important to maintain our anonymity in order to be completely objective, and not be swayed by freebies or other promotions. We like great food, and it can be a 5 star restaurant, a family diner, a taco truck, or an established fast food place. We're not food snobs at the RJG.

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Ratings

5 - Best of the Best! We rarely give this rating out (less than a handful). Must be a truly exceptional place that we've been to many times, over many years, and never fails. No new place can get a 5. This one takes time to achieve.4.5 - Super, one of the RJG's favorite restaurants. This is also a rare designation and truly represents some of our all-time favorites. Must have visited 3 times to receive this grade.4 - Excellent, and worth going to over and over in a year (and sometimes we do just that if time allows).3.5 - Very good, and we may go 2 to 3 times a year.3 - Good, perhaps worth a visit on rare occasion. Maybe once a year or every other year.2.5 - Average, would need encouragement to go back at all.2 - Disappointing, not what we had hoped or expected.1.5 - Terrible, and recommend strongly against.1 - Difficult to finish the meal it's so bad.0.5 - Walked out in disgust. Calling health department... (there's only one of these and not recorded here)